


Unexpected Target

by orpheous87



Series: Lakeside [3]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Auror Harry Potter, Background Case, Death Eaters, Draco Malfoy is Clueless About Muggle Things, M/M, Muggle Technology
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-29
Updated: 2019-07-29
Packaged: 2020-07-25 20:36:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,204
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20031961
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orpheous87/pseuds/orpheous87
Summary: This is my second ficlet for the Game of Drarry summer workshop. You don't need to read the first two ficlets in the series for this to make sense, but if you want to, they'rehere.Harry gets word that there has been suspected Death Eater activity and is sent to investigate, while Draco could be in danger.





	Unexpected Target

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to [keyflight790](https://archiveofourown.org/users/keyflight790/works) for betaing!

_“And you’re sure about this, Minister?” _

_“I’m afraid so, Potter. I’m going to need you to put a team together and lead the investigation.” _

_“What about-?” _

_“He might not be safe. We don’t know, yet. I would suggest you fill him in as soon as you get home and the two of you can put whatever security measures in place that you need to.” _

_“Yes, Minister.” _

The Floo at Grimmauld Place roared into life, surprising Draco as he pored over the day’s newspaper while he sat at the kitchen table. “You’re home early.” 

“I know,” Harry said, stepping into the kitchen. He wasn’t smiling and immediately Draco was on edge. 

“Please tell me you haven’t been fired for being too reckless?” Draco asked, only half joking. 

Harry shook his head. “Don’t be daft,” he said. “The Minister loves my recklessness. No. I… I need to tell you something.” 

“Harry, you’re worrying me now,” Draco said, closing his newspaper as he looked at his husband. 

Harry sat beside Draco at the table, biting his lip. “The Minister called me to his office as soon as I got to work today,” he said. “There was some suspected… Death Eater activity overnight.” 

Draco froze, a chill washing over his whole body, leaving his insides feeling like they’d been drenched in ice cold water. “Death Eater activity?” he whispered and Harry noticed his hands were shaking. 

Harry nodded. “In a little village near Marlborough,” he said cautiously, watching Draco for his reaction. 

“But that… it’s…” Draco stuttered, unable to form a proper sentence. He pushed his sleeve back and studied his left arm for any trace of the once black Dark Mark. 

“I know,” Harry said. “I don’t think your mother is in danger. We’ve heard nothing to suggest that they’re trying to gain access to the Manor.” 

“How can you be sure?” Draco asked, looking up from his arm, satisfied that there was nothing out of the ordinary. 

“We… can’t,” Harry admitted. “The Minister wants me to head up the investigation team. I’m going to need to go to see your mother.” 

“I… I should come with you,” Draco said quickly. 

Harry shook his head. “No, see… that’s the other thing,” he said carefully. “The Minister, he, er, he thinks that… you… might be a target.” 

Draco froze again, looking at Harry with wide eyes. “Wh-what?”

“He’s worried that your, erm, father might be involved somehow,” Harry said hesitantly. 

“But he’s… he’s in Azkaban,” Draco said in a harsh whisper. “How can he be involved?” 

“That’s what I need to find out,” Harry said. “I don’t want to leave you here alone though.” 

“I can’t come with you,” Draco said quickly. 

“No, I wasn’t going to ask you to,” Harry replied. “It might be too dangerous. You’re handy with a wand, I know that, but who knows what they’d try to get to you. At this stage, even though we can’t be sure you’re even a target, we don’t know what they’d want from you if you were.” 

“Revenge or something, I imagine,” Draco said bitterly. “To try and finish me off since I escaped Azkaban.” 

“It’s been years, they can’t still want revenge,” Harry said, frowning. 

“You don’t know my father very well,” Draco sighed. “He was not happy that I was cleared while he was sentenced to life. He was a different man last time he got out and I can’t imagine anything will be different this time.” 

“I’m sure he won’t break out again,” Harry said, trying to reassure him. “The guards are much more competent and less likely to have their heads turned now.” 

“I hope you’re right,” Draco sighed. “What can I do while you’re investigating?”

Harry paused and looked directly at Draco. “I want you to go to Tent Lodge.” 

“What?” Draco asked, frowning. 

“We’ve never used proper magic there,” Harry said. “I want you to go there until we know it’s safe for you to be in London.” 

“I can’t go without you,” Draco protested, still frowning. “How would I get there for a start?” 

“Well, that’s the thing,” Harry sighed. “You’ll have to take the train. I don’t want you Apparating in case they can trace you, so the only answer is Muggle transport. You won’t be traced that way, they’d never expect you to be on a train to Oxenholme.” 

“And what about when I get to the other end, Harry?” Draco asked, pushing a shaky hand through his hair. “I can’t drive a car. How do I get from the train station to the cottage? And, actually, how do you know that I’ll even be able to go to the cottage? We don’t have it rented for now.” 

“I made a call before I came home,” Harry said. “I spoke to the owner and asked if it were possible to get a short term booking and they were happy to help. Tent Lodge wasn’t rented out, but a couple of the other properties on the estate are. Hermione will go with you to handle the money and everything, but please, Draco, you need to go. I’m worried about what’ll happen if you don’t.” 

“And what about me?” Draco said. “Do you think I won’t be worried about you, when you’re going after people who would love to see you dead too?” 

“I know you will,” Harry said, shifting closer to Draco. He reached out and cupped one hand at the back of Draco’s neck, pressing their foreheads together. “I hate this. I hate that this is even happening now, after everything’s been quiet for so long. I hate that it might be your own father who’s to blame for it.” 

“I know,” Draco whispered. “I hate it too. I know he deserved prison, but I hate what that place has done to him. He was never like this when I was a child. Not to this extreme.”

Harry lifted his head and pressed a lingering kiss to Draco’s forehead. “I’m sorry he’s in there,” he whispered. “I tried my best for you all.”

“Don’t you dare even think that this is your fault,” Draco said harshly, bringing his own hand up to cup the back of Harry’s neck. “He knew what he was getting into when he joined _him_. It’s his own fault he’s in there. He didn’t show enough remorse.”

Harry closed his eyes, his lips still pressed against Draco’s forehead. “I’ll go and see him. We need to know if he’s involved anyway.”

“You can’t go on your own,” Draco whispered, clinging to Harry. “That place is awful.”

“I’ll be alright,” Harry said. “I’ve been in there before. It’s unavoidable sometimes in my line of work.”

Draco gave a humourless chuckle. “I know, and I hate it. No-one decent should have to spend time in there.”

Harry smiled, kissing Draco’s forehead again. “In an ideal world, maybe. Will you go to the cottage?”

Draco was silent for a few moments. “Yes,” he whispered. “But you need to promise me that you’ll stay in frequent contact somehow. I want to know everything.”

Harry breathed a sigh of relief. “I will. Hermione knows how to use a mobile phone,” he said. “I’ll get a couple and I’ll use them to speak to you. We’ll even be able to see each other.”

Draco pulled back at that. “What do you mean?”

Harry smiled again. “Muggle technology is quite advanced,” he said. “Mobile phones nowadays are capable of fantastic things. I’ll show you before you leave. Get some things packed and I’ll pop into the city to get the phones. The train leaves tonight and Hermione will meet us at the station.”

Draco swallowed hard and nodded. This was suddenly seeming very real and he was scared. He’d thought that his days of feeling like this had been ended when Harry finished Voldemort off. 

The next two hours were a blur to Draco. All he really remembered was throwing too many pairs of trousers into a suitcase, not throwing enough underwear in and then having to take everything back out and start again. 

Harry returned to Grimmauld Place shortly before five o’clock. He had a carrier bag with him containing two up-to-date smartphones. 

“Draco, come here and watch,” Harry said as he entered the living room. “You’ll need to know how to operate the phone in case Hermione is busy.”

Draco moved to sit beside Harry on the sofa. He took the phone that Harry held out. He couldn’t help but notice that the background picture shifted slightly as he moved the phone. “Is this like a wizarding photo? It’s moving!”

“Yeah,” Harry smiled. “A bit like a wizarding photo, but not really. Okay, look, this is how you start the phone,” he continued, showing Draco how to wake the phone up and put the passcode in. “The passcode is my birthday, so you won’t need to write it down.”

Draco nodded. He knew when Harry’s birthday was, that was fine. He could do that. 

“So now, this is the home screen. We can change that picture later, it’ll be better if it’s something personal just in case anyone gets a look at the phone. If we just leave the background as that one, they’ll think it’s dodgy,” Harry explained, watching Draco to see if he understood. 

“This little picture here is the list of contacts,” Harry said, pointing to the icon. “It’s like an address book. The only number that’s in there is the one for this phone.” He held up the other mobile phone. “You don’t need any other numbers, although you could put the number of the Chinese takeaway in Coniston in if you really want to.”

Draco looked pleased at that thought. He really did like that place. “Okay, that seems fairly straightforward,” he replied. “Hermione will be there to help though, won’t she?”

Harry nodded. “Yeah, she will,” he said. “She knows all about this stuff. Right, so this one here is the text messages. It means we can write to each other - a bit like owls, but much quicker.” 

“How?” Draco asked suspiciously. 

“Like this, look,” Harry said, showing him how to open the messages app and how to type on the little keyboard. “Then, when you’ve written your message, tap here,” - he indicated the contacts section at the top of the message - “and choose my name. Then you can press that little arrow there, look, and the message will send.”

The phone in Harry’s hand buzzed and he showed Draco that the message had popped up on the screen. 

“Then you just tap that and you can read the message and reply if you want,” Harry continued. “Does that make sense?”

Draco nodded, though he looked puzzled. “I don’t understand how it works,” he said. “But if it means I can speak to you then I don’t care. You said I’d be able to see you though… how?”

“Oh,” Harry said, remembering. “We need to go into a different bit for that. See this one here? Tap that and it’ll open up the bit you need. Then tap on the little cross there, and then again, and then you can choose my name.”

Draco followed Harry’s instructions, jumping slightly at the sight of himself on the screen of the phone. “That’s me,” he said. “Not you.”

Harry chuckled. “It’s alright, it’ll be me if you press that button there,” he said, pointing to the bit he was talking about. 

Draco pressed it expectantly. Harry’s phone buzzed again and then, the screen of Draco’s phone was filled with his husband’s face. Draco’s eyes widened and he looked from the phone to Harry and then back again. “Wha- How?” he demanded. “How does this work?”

“Do you see a tiny, round bit at the top of your phone there?” Harry asked, showing Draco where he meant on the phone he was holding. “That’s a camera. So this is like a telephone call, but we can see each other. Don’t hold the phone too close to your face if you want to call me like this though, or I won’t be able to see you.”

“Like this?” Draco said, holding the phone a bit further away from himself. 

“That’s it,” Harry said with a smile. “Will this make being at the cottage on your own better?”

“Much,” Draco nodded. “How do I change the picture on the background? I want it to be you and me.”

Harry grinned. “Come here,” he said, sliding an arm around Draco and pulling him close. He showed Draco how to go to the camera on the phone and then how to take a photograph of the two of them. “To put it as your background picture, we do this,” he said, showing Draco how to set the picture. “I like that.”

Draco smiled at the photograph and nodded. “I do too,” he said. “At least you’ll always, sort of, be with me while I’m at the cottage.”

Harry pulled Draco close again and kissed him soundly. “I wish I could actually be there with you,” he whispered. “I’m going to get this shut down as quickly as possible. I promise.” 

“I know you will,” Draco replied, pulling Harry into a hug. 

They stayed like that for what seemed like a very long time, until they were reminded of the time by the clock chiming from the kitchen. 

Harry glanced up. “We need to get to the train station.” 

“What time is the train?” Draco asked with a small sigh. 

“Half past six,” Harry replied, glancing at his watch. “We have plenty of time to get there. I told Hermione we’d meet her at quarter past six and it’s only quarter to now.” 

“We’d better go then,” Draco said, without making any move to get up. 

“We should use a Glamour until you’re safely on the train,” Harry said. “We have no idea if there are any associates of the group in London right now.” 

Draco nodded. He’d been prepared for something like this. “Alright. Do your worst.” 

Harry smiled and shook his head slightly. “I’m not changing you too much. But your hair definitely needs to be altered.” He took his wand out and waved it slightly, muttering the incantation that would cast the Glamour. He also cast one on himself to be sure they wouldn’t be spotted. 

Five minutes later, they were on their way to the train station to meet Hermione. Draco found himself glancing around as they walked, paranoid that someone would ambush them at any moment, even though he knew that was a crazy thought. 

When they arrived at the train station, Harry looked around and spotted Hermione sitting on one of the benches on the platform, Ron by her side. Although they were both wearing Glamours, Harry knew straight away that it was them. 

“Hi,” he said as they reached the bench. “Thanks for doing this.” 

“It’s not a problem, you know that,” Hermione replied, giving them a sympathetic look. She couldn’t imagine being in this situation. 

“It’ll all work out, you’ll see,” Ron chipped in, trying to cheer Draco up. “Harry will get to the bottom of things. He’s got a good team behind him.” 

“Let me guess, you’re part of that team?” Draco asked, raising an eyebrow in Ron’s direction. 

“Well, yeah, of course,” Ron said, shrugging. “That’s why I know the team is good!” 

Harry chuckled. “They are a good team,” he said. “Honestly. We’ll get things sorted.”

“I know. I have faith in you,” Draco said, turning to Harry. “I’ll call you when we get there.” 

Harry smiled. “Make sure you do,” he said. “I’ll worry otherwise.” 

“Don’t worry, Harry,” Hermione said. “We’ll be in touch. It’s only a couple of hours journey too, which is good. We’ll be there before ten, well, at the train station in Oxenholme before ten anyway.” 

“The owners of the cottage will meet you at the gate to the estate at quarter past ten,” Harry said. “If there’s any delay on the train, let me know and I’ll give them a call to let them know you’ll be a bit later.” 

Hermione nodded just as the train pulled in to the platform. “Well, this is our train. Say goodbye,” she said, turning to give Ron a hug and a kiss on the cheek. “I’ll call you.” 

Ron hugged her tightly and nodded. “Okay. Stay safe.” 

Draco pulled Harry into a tight hug, pressing his lips to Harry’s. “_You_ stay safe,” he whispered. “And let me know the minute you’ve spoken to my father.” 

“I will,” Harry whispered back. “Don’t use magic at any cost - unless it’s life or death. Hopefully it’ll only be a few days.” 

Draco kissed Harry once more before pulling away and joining Hermione on the train. They had first class seats reserved and were pleased to note that there weren’t many other people in the carriage. Sitting opposite each other, Draco and Hermione shared a worried look. They both knew how dangerous the mission that Harry and Ron were about to embark on was.

They spent the train journey mostly in silence, each working silently on their own paperwork. Draco was lucky enough to work for himself as a Potioneer and could complete his work wherever he was based. Hermione’s bosses at the Ministry had been understanding when Harry had requested her assistance on a mission, and had been more than happy to oblige, allowing her to complete her work at home.

The two hour train journey passed quickly because of this and soon enough, the train was pulling in to Oxenholme station. Draco and Hermione packed their paperwork back into their bags and left the train, heading for the car hire. 

“I’ll wait out here,” Draco said, pausing at the doorway. 

“No, come inside,” Hermione said, looking at him seriously. “Harry will never forgive me if anything happens to you.” 

“What could happen to me here?” Draco asked, tilting his head slightly. 

“Most likely nothing,” Hermione said. “But I’m not taking chances. Come on.” She took his arm and steered him into the car hire building. 

Draco bit his lip gently, watching as Hermione approached the desk and negotiated a car for them to use. 

Five minutes later, they were on their way to the cottage, their bags safely in the boot of the car. 

“I’ve only hired it for the week for now,” Hermione said as they drove along the quiet road. “If we need to have it longer, I’ll go back and extend it.” 

“Hopefully we won’t need it for longer than a week,” Draco replied, watching as the trees whisked past the window. “Harry will get to the bottom of this.” 

“I know he will,” Hermione said. “He and Ron are very good at their jobs.” She paused. “Don’t tell Ron I said that.” 

Draco snorted with laughter. “I wouldn’t dream of it.” 

“Good,” Hermione said with a small smile. 

They lapsed into silence as they got closer to the cottage. The scenery that Draco usually found so captivating barely held his interest as he stared out of the window. He couldn’t concentrate on anything other than what Harry might be doing right now. 

Pulling up in front of the gate to the estate, Hermione glanced at the clock. “Right on time,” she murmured. “Is that the owners?” 

Draco looked and nodded. “Yes, I think so,” he said. “Harry normally deals with them, but I’ve seen them once or twice.” 

“Alright then,” Hermione said, taking off her seatbelt. “I’ll go and get the keys.” 

Draco nodded, watching her go. 

A few minutes later, Hermione was back in the car and easing it forward through the gate as the owners held it open for them. She waved at them and continued along to the cottage. 

Arriving in the courtyard, Hermione parked outside of Tent Lodge and switched the engine off. “We’ll give Harry and Ron a call when we get inside,” she said. “Let them know we got here okay.” 

“You don’t think they’ll have gone straight to work?” Draco asked, a worried tone to his voice as he took his seatbelt off.

“Honestly?” Hermione asked, opening her door. “Yes, I do. We’ll know if they don’t answer. I’ll try Ron first.” 

“Alright,” Draco replied, nodding and getting out of the car. He went to the boot to get their bags as Hermione unlocked the cottage door. 

“Oh, it’s beautiful,” Hermione breathed as she stepped inside and Draco was reminded that this was her first time at the cottage. “It’s no wonder you and Harry like it so much.” 

Draco couldn’t help but smile as he joined her in the open plan living room. “It’s even better when it’s daylight,” he said. “The scenery is spectacular. I don’t suppose this is going to be like any of my previous trips here, but at least we have access to the lake.” 

Hermione nodded, turning to him with a sad smile. “No, I know I’m not quite the same as Harry, but we’ll try and enjoy the time here.” 

Draco nodded again. “Hopefully we won’t be here too long,” he said. “Or maybe Ron and Harry can join us when they’ve got to the bottom of everything.” 

Hermione smiled again, a happier smile this time. “That sounds nice,” she said. “If they get it wrapped up before the end of the week, we could have a weekend break before we go back to London.” 

“That sounds nice,” Draco replied. “Come on then, let’s phone them.” 

“Alright, alright,” Hermione said, pulling her phone out of her pocket. She opened it up and navigated to her contacts before pressing Ron’s name. She held it to her ear and turned away from Draco slightly. “Ron? It’s me,” she said after a few minutes. “Yes, we got here okay. Is Harry with you?” 

Draco perched himself on the arm of a chair and watched Hermione anxiously. 

“Okay… okay,” Hermione continued, nodding as she talked. “Yes. Alright. Tell Harry that Draco will call him now. Alright. I love you too… goodnight.” 

Hermione hung up and turned to Draco. “They’ve been to the Ministry,” she said. “But all they’ve done is come up with a plan, they haven’t been able to do anything else yet. You can call Harry now, he and Ron are at Grimmauld Place.” 

Draco nodded, taking his own phone out of his pocket. He stared at it for a moment, waiting for it to wake up. He frowned when nothing happened, and then jabbed at the screen with one finger. He smiled as the picture he and Harry had taken came into view before he put the passcode in to unlock the phone. 

Studying the icons on the phone, Draco tried to remember which one he needed to press. He prodded at one he thought was right and smiled when the short list of contacts popped up. “Ha,” he muttered under his breath. 

Hermione watched him with amusement from the kitchen. She put some water into the kettle and put it on to boil. 

Draco pressed Harry’s name and then held the phone up to his ear like Hermione had done. There were barely three rings when Harry answered. 

“Draco?” 

“Harry?” 

“You did it!” 

Draco could hear the smile in Harry’s voice and couldn’t help but smile himself. “I told you I’d manage,” he said. “Hermione said you’ve got a plan?” 

“Yeah, we went straight to the Ministry after the train left and got the team together. We’re going tomorrow - Ron and Terry are going to go and investigate the goings on in the village. I’m going to go and see your mother while they do that. Then Ron and I will go and speak to your father.” 

“Are there only three of you on the mission?” Draco asked, alarm evident in his voice. 

“No, but there are only three of us going out to Wiltshire. The rest of the team are staying in London and will be making use of contacts here to gather any more information that might help us. The best we can hope for is that this is a copycat group, hoping to gain a bit of publicity. But we can’t assume that’s all it is.” 

“Tell Mother that I love her and that I’m safe,” Draco replied. 

“Of course I will. And I’ll video call you as soon as I’ve spoken to your father.” 

“Make sure you do. I want to know you get out of that place alright,” Draco said with a sigh. 

“I will, I promise. How was the journey?” 

“Quiet. I got plenty of my work done though,” Draco answered. “Not the same without you.” 

“I know, I wish I was with you rather than here, believe me. I’m confident we can crack this in a couple of days though.” 

“Then you can come and join us,” Draco said. “We can stay here for the weekend.” 

“That sounds like a perfect plan. We’ll definitely do that.” 

“Good,” Draco said, smiling. “I can’t wait.”

“I love you. Stay safe and I’ll be in touch tomorrow.” 

“I love you too,” Draco said, dropping his voice slightly. “Be careful.” 

“I will. Goodnight.” 

“Goodnight, Harry,” Draco said, sighing. He kept the phone held to his ear until he was sure Harry had gone. Then he dropped his hand to his side and stared out of the window at the black sky. 

“Hot chocolate?” 

Draco turned to find Hermione holding out a mug of hot chocolate, topped with whipped cream and chocolate curls. “How did you do that?” 

“Everything we needed was in the cupboard,” Hermione said with a smile. “And the fridge. I thought it would be better to have this than tea since it’s quite late.” 

“Thank you,” Draco said, taking the mug that Hermione offered him. “I know he does stuff like this all the time, but I’m so worried about this mission.” 

“I know,” Hermione said, taking a sip of her hot chocolate. “I’m worried too. But we have to have confidence that they’ll do what they need to do, and do it safely.” 

Draco sighed and took a sip too. “I know. I know they’ll be fine. We’ll see them at the weekend.” 

Hermione smiled and nodded. “That’s the spirit. I’m going to drink this and then I think I’ll turn in for the night. Do you have a preference for which bedroom?” 

“Harry and I usually sleep in the double bedroom,” Draco said, sipping at his hot chocolate again. “The other room is a twin room, but I’m sure you could put the beds together.”

Hermione shook her head. “I’ll be fine in one bed,” she chuckled. “What do you think we should do tomorrow?” 

“I don’t know,” Draco said. “We would normally walk into the town, but I’m not sure what we should be doing.” 

“Well I still have plenty of work I can get on with,” Hermione said thoughtfully. “We could just stay here?” 

“I think it might be best,” Draco said. “At least until we’ve spoken to Harry again. If they can get a good understanding of what’s gone on, we’ll know if we’re free to wander around.” 

“Very sensible,” Hermione said, nodding. “That sounds like a good idea to me.” 

Draco nodded. “Then that’s what we’ll do.” 

They finished their hot chocolate, locked the cottage door and headed up to their bedrooms.

***

The next morning, when Draco got up, he could hear Hermione already in the kitchen and he could smell the bacon she was cooking. His stomach gave a small growl and he shook his head. He needed to go to the bathroom before he even thought of going down to breakfast.

He made his way to the bathroom and used the toilet before washing and brushing his teeth. He tried not to think of what Harry could be doing right now. Since they’d been married, he and Harry had barely spent any time apart and it was a strange feeling to know that it was Hermione downstairs and not Harry.

He sighed and went back to his bedroom to get dressed. He hoped that Harry would, indeed, manage to solve the case before the weekend. He wasn’t sure he could handle being apart from his husband for any longer than a week. 

Once he’d dressed - casually, for once, given that they weren’t planning on leaving the cottage - Draco headed downstairs. 

“Good morning,” Hermione smiled. “I made a start on breakfast. The bacon is just keeping warm. One egg or two?” 

Draco paused on the bottom step, blinking. Harry never asked him how many eggs he wanted. “Uh…” 

“Sorry, is it too early for you?” Hermione asked, turning to face him with a spatula in her hand. “Ron hates it when I’m so chirpy on a morning, but I can’t help it. The view from my room is amazing, I woke up early to see the sunrise.” 

Draco suddenly shook his head, stepping off the stairs and moving into the kitchen area. “No, I’m much more of a morning person than Harry,” he said. “I’ve just never been asked how many eggs I want before. One will be enough, thank you.” 

Hermione smiled and turned back to the frying pan. “Good choice,” she said. “Leaves us more for later. Toast?” 

“I’ll do the toast,” Draco said, feeling slightly overwhelmed by the attention. “White or brown?” 

“Brown, please,” Hermione said, poking at the eggs in the pan. “This is nearly ready.” 

Draco paused by the toaster, inspecting it before dropping four slices of brown bread into the slots. “Did you sleep well, then?” 

“Oh, yes,” Hermione nodded. “That bed was immensely comfortable. It reminded me of my old bed at Hogwarts, actually. Nothing else has come close.”

“We said the same thing, the first time we came here,” Draco said, smiling. “I don’t know how they found such comfortable mattresses. I was thinking, we could have Chinese for dinner tonight?”

“You’re already thinking about dinner?” Hermione asked, almost dropping the spatula in surprise. “Even Ron isn’t that bad!” 

“Ron hasn’t tasted the food from the Chinese takeaway in Coniston,” Draco replied wisely. “It’s the best food I’ve ever eaten.” 

“Well, when you put it like that, how can I refuse?” Hermione asked. “It would be nice not to cook, I suppose.” 

“Then that’s what we’ll do,” Draco said, feeling pleased with himself for suggesting it. His next sentence was cut off by the toaster popping. “Ah. Toast is done.” 

“The eggs are done too,” Hermione said, turning the gas off under the pan. She opened the oven up and took out a huge plate of bacon. 

“Did you forget that Ron isn’t actually here?” Draco asked, his eyes wide as they took in the pile of bacon.

“Er, perhaps,” Hermione said, her cheeks turning pink. “Do you not like to eat a lot of bacon?”

“Well, I do like bacon,” Draco said. “So I’m sure we can manage.” 

Hermione gave him a small smile as she dished the eggs up. “I’ll put the plate on the table and we can just help ourselves.” 

“Alright,” Draco nodded, beginning to butter a slice of toast. 

Five minutes later, as they were sitting down and eating their breakfast, the silence was interrupted by the sound of a mobile phone ringing. 

Draco jumped up, knocking the table and upsetting the pile of bacon. He dashed across the room to pick his mobile phone up. “Harry!” 

The ringing continued and Draco jabbed at the screen impatiently. Harry hadn’t told him what to do when the phone actually rang. He jumped in surprise when Harry’s face suddenly filled the screen. “Harry,” he said, smiling.

“I’ve spoken to your father,” Harry said. He wasn’t smiling and didn’t waste time with any niceties. “It’s worse than we thought.” 

Draco felt his insides turn cold. “Wh-what do you mean?” he asked. 

“Your father didn’t admit anything,” Harry said. “But what he did say gave us cause for concern. He knows what is happening, which is concerning given that he’s one of the prisoners that is kept from mixing.” 

“Have Ron and Terry found anything in the village?” Draco asked, his voice filled with worry. 

“No, only some residual magic,” Harry said. “But nothing solid to go on. We’re on our way to see your mother now.” 

“Is she in danger?” Draco asked immediately. 

“No. I’m sure she’s not,” Harry said. “I think, if anything, he’s just trying to contact her. When I mentioned her, his whole demeanour changed.” 

“That makes me feel a little bit better,” Draco admitted. “I was sure he wouldn’t want to hurt Mother.” 

“I’m confident that she isn’t his target,” Harry said, nodding. “You, on the other hand…” 

“Do I want to know?” Draco asked anxiously. 

“Probably not,” Harry said. “But I need to tell you. You were right, he’s still very angry that you’re not in the next cell. I don’t think you’re being targeted to be hurt, I think you’re being targeted to be recruited.” 

“But that won’t happen,” Draco said. “I want nothing to do with that way of life. He must know that.” 

“Well that’s the thing,” Harry continued. “I think he does. But I think he thinks he can control you - a bit like he did when you were younger. Draco… I think he’s losing his mind in there.” 

“Is there anything that can be done?” Draco frowned. 

“I can speak to someone at St. Mungo’s,” Harry said. “See if they have anything they can give him to let him keep a clear mind. But I think that it’s just the effect of being in Azkaban, if I’m honest.” 

Draco frowned again, chewing his lip. “Has he had any other visitors?” 

Harry paused before answering. “A couple, apparently. Not names I recognise, but I’ve got someone looking into them. We can’t assume that these visitors are the same as the people who’ve been causing the problems in the village.” 

“No,” Draco agreed. “But if they are?” 

“Then we’ll find them,” Harry said. “They’re not getting away with this, Draco. Peace took so long to get, we’re not letting it go this easily. Oh... “ he looked away for a moment. “We’re at the Manor. I’ll call you again later.” 

“Alright,” Draco said, the anxiousness returning. “Harry, tell my mother to be careful.” 

Harry nodded. “I will. Promise.” 

“Thank you,” Draco said softly. “The same goes for you too.” 

Harry smiled. “You know me.” 

“Yes, I do,” Draco replied. “That’s why I’m saying it. I love you too much to lose you, you berk.” 

Harry smiled again. “I love you too. I’ll be fine. Speak to you later.” 

“Bye, Harry,” Draco sighed as Harry disappeared from the screen. He looked up to find Hermione watching him, a worried expression crossing her features. 

“Bad news?” she asked, picking up the bacon that Draco had knocked off the plate. 

“Not bad per se,” Draco said, frowning as he came back to the table. “Mother isn’t a target, Harry thinks my father just wants to talk to her. I, on the other hand, am potentially being targeted for recruitment.” 

“Recruitment? Surely there aren’t enough of them to be recruiting so obviously?” Hermione frowned. 

“Harry said they’re still not sure,” Draco replied, reaching over with his fork to spear a rasher of bacon. “When he spoke to my father, he seemed to be aware that I won’t be recruited, but… he also thinks that I’ll still do what he says. Like I did as a child.” 

“Well we know that’s not true,” Hermione said, putting some more bacon onto her plate too. “Anything from the village?” 

“Ron and Terry could only find some residual magic,” Draco sighed. “So that lead was useless. Harry did get the names of some people who visited my father and he said he’s got someone investigating them. He wasn’t familiar with the names, so they can’t be any leftover Death Eaters from last time.” 

“It must be someone copying the previous Death Eaters,” Hermione said, thoughtfully. “The Ministry were very thorough last time, with the trials and everything. None of them escaped.” 

“I know,” Draco said, quietly. “That’s why it’s so worrying, I suppose. If they’re trying to raise the Death Eater movement again, how many innocent people will be hurt? A lot of the magic used by the Dark Lord and his followers was the darkest kind of magic and if people are studying it with a view to using it, the whole wizarding world could be in danger.” 

“Let’s not think of that,” Hermione said. “Harry and his team will figure things out and stop the nonsense before it gets properly started. I’m sure of it.” 

Draco nodded, though he didn’t look convinced. He looked at the clock, thinking that the next few days would be the longest days of his life.

***

Two days later, Draco was sitting on the end of the jetty, dangling his feet in the cool water of Coniston Water. He hadn’t spoken to Harry since yesterday morning and he was starting to feel antsy. Hermione had told him not to worry, that Harry must be busy with the case to be able to phone him, but that hadn’t helped. Neither had the text message he’d received at midnight saying _Sorry, couldn’t call. Goodnight. Love you x_. Surely Harry could have given him an explanation?

Sighing, he picked up a small pebble that had been left on the jetty and threw it into the water. He heard footsteps making their way along the wooden walkway behind him, but didn’t turn. He knew it would be Hermione, bringing him some more of the hot chocolate she’d become fond of making. 

Continuing to stare across the lake at the distant town of Coniston, Draco barely noticed that the footsteps had stopped and their owner had sat down beside him. He picked another pebble up and attempted to skim it across the surface of the lake. He groaned softly as the pebble jumped once before sinking without a trace. 

“It works better if you stand up, you know.” 

Draco’s head snapped to the right so quickly that he gave himself a crick in the neck. “Harry! Why didn’t you call me? Or text me! What happened?!”

Harry chuckled softly. “I’m sorry,” he said, pulling Draco into a hug. “I couldn’t wait to get here and tell you in person. Ron’s in the cottage with Hermione, we Apparated in a few minutes ago.” 

“Right into the kitchen?” Draco asked, wrapping his arms around Harry and breathing in the scent of him. 

“Yeah, we probably should have thought about it before we did it,” Harry replied. “Ron ended up with Hermione’s wand pointed at his throat because he appeared right behind her.” 

Draco let out a harsh chuckle, still holding onto Harry tightly. “Sounds about right,” he said. “You’d have had a better reaction if you’d have surprised me by appearing in the kitchen.” 

Harry grinned and pressed his lips to Draco’s neck. “I’ve missed you so much,” he murmured against the pale skin. 

“I missed you too,” Draco replied. “I’ve been so worried and then when you didn’t call last night…” 

“I know, I’m sorry,” Harry said. “We apprehended the suspects late last night, like, really late and ended up being tied up with the paperwork until just before midnight. The residual magic that Terry and Ron had found in the village _did_ belong to the two visitors that your father had. It turned out that they were descendents of the Carrows and were hell bent on ‘avenging’ them.” 

Draco snorted, pulling back to look at Harry properly. “Did they admit to going to see my father? Had they visited anyone else?” 

Harry half nodded. “Yes and no,” he said. “They denied speaking to your father. Said they’d been there to see someone else, but couldn’t deny it when we brought one of the guards in as a witness. They had no intention of going to see your mother, but when they spoke to your father, he managed to convince them to take her a message. We got there just in time to stop her from opening it - it was laced with a powerful sleeping draught. So powerful that just the vapours from it would have killed her.”

Draco’s mouth fell open and a furious expression took over his face. 

“It’s alright,” Harry said quickly, interrupting him. “It was put on the letter _after_ your father had given it to them. It wasn’t him. A few drops of Veritaserum had them admitting to it. They thought they could get to you by harming your mother.” 

Draco’s face softened instantly, though he still felt extremely anxious. “That would have worked,” he said softly. “You know that as well as I do.” 

Harry nodded. “I know,” he said. “That was another reason I wanted to do this in person. That way there’s no risk of you doing something that… well, _I_ would do.” 

Draco laughed at that. “Well played,” he said. “So… what’s happened with them?” 

“They’re in Azkaban,” Harry said, simply. “They had a quick trial this morning, there was no question of their guilt. The Wizengamot wasted no time, because they decided that a serious punishment for something that some would call a minor indiscretion would serve as a stark warning to anyone else considering doing something similar.” 

Draco breathed a sigh of relief. “Good,” he said. “I’m glad. They deserve it. How long are they in there for?” 

“Life,” Harry said. “They’re considered too big a risk now. They won’t be getting out.” 

Draco responded by leaning forward and kissing Harry, pulling him into his arms again. They parted a few seconds later and Draco pressed his forehead to Harry’s, one hand caressing the back of Harry’s neck lightly. “I love you,” he whispered. 

“I love you, too,” Harry replied softly. “So much.” 

Draco kissed Harry once more, before slipping one arm around him and letting his head rest on Harry’s shoulder. “We’re staying until Monday, yes?” 

Harry chuckled. “Yes,” he said. “We deserve a holiday,” he added, gazing out over the lake as the sun began to set.

Hermione and Ron watched them from the back door of the cottage. 

“That’s the most relaxed I’ve seen him over the last few days,” Hermione said softly. “He was so worried and jittery.” 

Ron nodded. “Harry too,” he said. “Well, worried anyway. I don’t think Harry’s ever been jittery in his life.” 

Hermione smiled and shook her head. “No, I don’t think he has either,” she said. “I’m glad you got the case solved so quickly.” 

“Me too,” Ron replied, stretching his arms over his head. “It’s been a nightmare having to feed myself, you know.” 

Hermione slapped his arm lightly. “Come on,” she said. “We’ll go in and order dinner. You need to try the Chinese takeaway in the village. The food is divine.” 

“Lead the way,” Ron said, stepping aside. “Those two will come when they’re ready, I suppose.” 

Hermione nodded, slipping past Ron and going inside. “You can tell me about your part in it all while we’re waiting for it to get here.”


End file.
